Sherpa Learning - Blogs

07/14/2018 - 11:29am

Another Go-Round with Synthesis

Having just returned from the AP U.S. History exam reading in Tampa, I have new concerns about the latest iteration of the LEQ and DBQ scoring rubrics—as did most, if not all, of the readers I spoke with over the week. Read Now

08/01/2017 - 10:14am

Preparing Over the Summer for AP Euro

In this series by Tony Maccarella, author of Mastering the Essay for AP European History, Tony answers questions sent in to him in the r/APStudents sub on Reddit. One student wanted to know what he could do over the summer to prepare for the start of AP Euro in the Fall. Read Now

04/11/2017 - 5:33pm

Tips for Answering Multiple-Choice - Part 1

In this series by Tony Maccarella, author of Mastering the Essay for AP European History, Tony answers questions sent in to him on Reddit. The first question was, "Are there any tips or techniques for answering multiple-choice questions on the AP Euro exam?" Read Now

10/25/2015 - 11:05am

The New DBQ Rubric: A Step in the Right Direction

In July, the College Board released a number of revisions to the new course guidelines, including a new DBQ rubric. The changes to the DBQ rubric certainly help to cut through the fog, but there is a downside for teachers. Read Now

04/01/2016 - 12:12pm

The Top 5 Misconceptions about the New AP Euro Exam

We talk to a lot of AP Euro students these days. We've discovered that many of them have misconceptions about the new exam and how to study for it. Here are the top 5 misconceptions that we're hearing from AP Euro students, followed by the truth about each topic. Read Now

10/10/2015 - 11:54am

A PUSH to Innovate Series: Sommer Newkirk

Sommer Newkirk, an AP U.S. History Teacher from Granada High School in Livermore, CA, uses her blog, community Facebook page, and Twitter account to keep her students connected, engaged, and supported beyond their regularly scheduled APUSH class. Read Now

05/22/2015 - 2:00pm

A PUSH to Innovate Series: Kate Harris

Kate Harris, an AP US History Teacher from Jordan High School in Durham, NC, uses her blog to connect students, parents, and teacher—building knowledge, relationships, and good study habits along the way. Read Now

05/11/2015 - 7:38pm

Did the College Board let APUSH Teachers Down This Year?

I've decided to devote this entry to acknowledging the lack of support extended to teachers and validate the challenges they are facing. I'm also writing about it to remind teachers, students, and parents that despite the many unknowns, there is a silver lining that we can all cling to, united. Read Now

04/23/2015 - 3:33pm

Introducing "A PUSH to Innovate"

When it comes to true innovation in educational resources, no one does it better than the teachers themselves. Over the next few months, I will be reporting on this phenomenon by showcasing some of the leading educator-developed APUSH resources. Each installment in the series will spotlight an educator who is blazing their own resource trail, and succeeding. Read Now

04/06/2015 - 8:40pm

A Truly Different Approach

A product that actually does what customers need it to do – because our customers help to create it – is a good thing. That’s what we’re setting out to do with the help of hundreds of volunteer teachers. Read Now

03/19/2015 - 3:16am

Confronting the Audit Demon (Part 1 of 2)

Simply stated, the new audit process is a ton of work. As one of the auditors, I've reviewed nearly one hundred submissions since the program began. I would like to offer several observations about the process and tips to help you avoid some common omissions. Read Now

01/17/2015 - 1:00am

The New Rubrics: Test Prep vs. College Prep

The newly-revised writing rubrics for the Long Essay Questions (LEQs) and the Document-Based Questions (DBQs) have raised many concerns and caused not a small amount of anxiety among AP U.S. History teachers these last few months. Every teacher aims for the best for his or her students and wants to instruct them in a way that will maximize their performance on the new 2015 exam. With this as motivation, instructors have expressed deep concern around how to help their students earn the synthesis point in their essays. Read Now

11/19/2014 - 3:34pm

Teaching to the New Multiple-Choice Format

One of the new challenges—at least for this first year and the learning curve that comes along with it—will be finding balance between teaching content knowledge while ensuring students are thinking like historians, critically evaluating how events are interconnected in the cause and effect continuum that is our history. Read Now

10/28/2014 - 12:10am

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes! Addressing the New Multiple-Choice Format

Big changes are coming in 2015 to the AP US History test. This means teachers will have to revise their lesson plans to help prepare students to think like a historian, rather than recall like a Jeopardy contestant. Read Now